


Love and Rattles

by LunaRose97



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alien Planet, Babies, Baby paladens, Cute, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Lance and Keith Raise Kids, Langst, Light Angst, M/M, Masturbation, Mutual Pining, Older Keith, Older Lance, Pining, Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), The other paladens, klance, long hair klance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-11
Updated: 2017-05-22
Packaged: 2018-10-02 12:00:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 19,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10217552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LunaRose97/pseuds/LunaRose97
Summary: When the common room doors slid open Lance almost fainted. Inside the room was Allura, Pidge, Hunk, and Shiro. They were all babies.Lance and Keith are faced with a problem, how to take care of four children, and deal with each other. Its been four years since they first formed Voltron, and Lance was crushing on Keith hard. Seeing Keith take care of children only furthered his feelings. Keith was falling for Lance more and more everyday, and now he is raising kids with him.Pretty much the cutest story ever, Lance and Keith are stuck and have to work together to figure things out, or a story where they have children before the marriage.





	1. Keith Knows What he is Doing

**Author's Note:**

> I loved the headcannon that Keith was good with children and im in love with Klance so why not mix both. Lance is Cuban here, and Keith is Korean...as am I. They are literally my parents you guys im dead. I really hope you guys like it. This is so much fun to write and i will update as fast as I can.

Traveling through space was cool in theory, seeing different planets, flying among the stars, not worrying about school. Everything about space was appealing, except Lance never realized how much he would miss Earth, miss home. Time seemed to fly by, it has been four years since they first formed Voltron. Lance loved it, everything about being a paladin was always exciting, however, being so far from home and the constant fighting was becoming exhausting. Lance loved knowing they were saving the universe. Being able to tell people he was a paladin of Voltron was exciting and he loved his job. What he hated was all the unknown, the universe was larger than anyone could have ever know, and with that came weird things. Like last week, if one was counting, Keith met an alien who could turn invisible. Lucky for them the alien was on their side because Lance thought if they had to fight that thing, they would lose.

Lance was swimming in the castle’s pool, the feeling of weightlessness as he swam around. Frank Sinatra played through the speakers. Lance loved listing to him when he felt homesick. His mother used to sing to him when he was sick. Fly me to the moon played, the soft melodies soothed him, the lyrics bringing a small smile to his face. Shiro’s deep voice could be heard over the music, bringing Lance back to reality. Keith and Shiro entered the pool room as they chatted, Keith’s towel draped over his head. They had a day off, Allura, Coran, and Pidge were building something. Lance had zoned out during that briefing. Lance had a whole day to himself, or at least he thought he did.

“Really, couldn’t you two find something else to do?” Lance whined, he wanted the pool to himself and in came Keith and Shiro. Lance really didn’t need this right now, seeing Keith in his swim trunks, his abs tight from years of fighting. Lance chewed the inside of his cheek as he watched his friends enter the pool.

“Nah, we have the day off so we are going to enjoy it too.” Keith replied as he stuck his tongue out at Lance.

“How mature.” Lance rolled his eyes and continued swimming. The room had a large window with a view of outer space. Lance loved it here, being surrounded by water and seeing the stars at the same time. Back home Lance would spend his days at the beach with his older brother, the clear, blue water was the best thing in the world. Lance has always been attracted to water ever since he could remember. The way the waves crashed onto the white sands of the beach by his house to the way the water felt around his skin, everything about the ocean made Lance feel at home.

Here, in space, the pool was the closest thing he had to home. The water was always the right temperature and he loved floating, letting the water wash away his worries. However, being able to see the stars and far away galaxies was another experience. Sure, Lance missed Earth and he would kill to go back, but space had its own appeal. Knowing there was more out there, out in space was crazy. Being a paladin had opened his eyes to something more, being a part of this team, saving people and aliens alike. It made Lance feel good, it took his mind off his troubles, even if for a moment.

Lance was jolted from his thoughts by Allura’s voice over the intercom.

“Paladins, we have a problem! Come to the bridge quick!” Lance looked to Keith and Shiro, both scrambling to get out of the pool. Lance followed suit, quickly swimming to the edge of the water.

“What do you think is going on? Is it a drill?” Lance asked, Shiro shook his head. They were sprinting down the hallway.

“No, she seemed worried. I think this is for real.” Shiro replied.

 

When they arrived, Coran and Allura were huddled by the main screen.

“Paladins, we have a problem.” Allura was panicked and Coran was sweating.

“The princess is right, we are approaching an unfamiliar planet. There is nothing in here about what this planet is and what or who is on it.” Shiro was looking over Allura’s shoulder.

“There is nothing, it’s almost as if this planet is brand new.”

“What, like a baby planet?” Lance chuckled. Keith rolled his eyes and sighed.

“Well yeah sort of. Sure, we have been asleep for 10,000 years but planets don’t usually form in such a short time.” Coran replied, twirling his mustache with his fingers.

“Then how is it a new planet.” Hunk asked, his dinner in his arms, fork in one hand.

“That is what we’re trying to figure out.” Pidge said, her face focused on her computer, altean words scrolling across the screen.

“Why are we getting closer?” Lance asked, slouching into his chair, his hair still dripping water onto his back.

“We need to figure out what this is.” Allura replied. She pushed a few buttons and closed her screen. “We are landing, paladins, get your gear on.”

♥♥♥

Stepping out onto the baby planet, Lance notice a few things. One, the ground was covered in pink grass, it seemed soft by the way it squished under his feet. Two, the trees were purple, well the leaves were, the trunks were bright orange. Three, there were literally babies everywhere. For real, like not human babies but alien babies. They were all different species, some looked like the bulmarins, others looked like people they have met before.

“What the hell?” Keith started, his Bayard was drawn but he held it at his side, they were babies after all.

“This is very unusual. Coran, is there any news on the planet? Can you scan the…” Allura hesitated.

“Babies?” Lance finished.

“Yeah, is there anything?” Allura continued.

“Nye Princess, there is nothing. Try talking to them.” Coran replied through the coms. Allura carefully approached one of the children, its large head looked up to her as she kneeled.

“Hello? Are you able to talk? My name is Allura and I am…” She was cut off when the child crawled away, babbling to itself.

“I don’t think they can talk princess. I think they are really babies.” Shiro smiled, Allura huffed as she stood. Hunk and Pidge found themselves surrounded with infants. Two were climbing Hunk’s leg. Pidge was sitting with a baby in her lap, another was climbing up her back.

“I think they are alone Shiro. They are so cute, but how did they get here. And who is watching them?” Pidge puzzled. She yelped when one of the children tugged at her hair.

“Yeah, they are sooo cute, can we keep them.” Hunk pleaded, in his arms was a baby with green hair and yellow skin. Its arms were oddly long and they were reaching out to Hunks face.

“No, we can’t keep them. We need to get to the bottom of this. You guys go look for any information, I’ll stay here with Coran and we will try to figure this out.” Allura put her hands on her hips, her face confused.

The paladins nodded and went to see what they could find. Shiro had them split up into teams. Lance wanted to go with Hunk but Shiro told him no. He said something along the lines of ‘you will goof off’ and ‘don’t pay attention.’ Long story short, Lance was stuck with Keith and they were sent into a cave. Great.

Keith took the lead, his helmet lighting up the way. Lance held his Bayard in his hand, gun pointed down in case they ran into any more children. Keith had his sword drawn. The cave was dark and damp, the walls were wet, some sort of purple algae growing along the surface. Carefully stepping over fallen rocks and puddles, Lance followed Keith further into the cave. From his position, Lance found himself staring at Keith as he walked. The suits were too thick, making it difficult to admire Keith’s muscles. However, Keith’s hips were in full view, swaying slightly as he walked. Lance could feel his heart beating in his chest, God, how Lance hated those hips. They were his true weakness.

“Oi, what did Shiro say. You need to focus.” Keith waved his free hand in front of Lance’s face. He had zoned out and now they were suddenly in an open area.

“Huh, oh sorry. Where are we?” Lance asked, his gun drawn.

“I don’t know, imma call Allura.” Keith surveyed the area and reported his findings to the princess, Lance just followed him. Pidge had asked him to take photos with his helmet so they could study them back on the ship. Inside the cave there was a pool of water, it seemed to glow a soft blue color. Lance smiled to himself. The water was not very deep, Lance could see the bottom from where he stood. There were alien plants surrounding the pool and some seemed to move, as if they were breathing.

“Okay, we are on our way back.” Keith’s voice cut through the quiet cave. Lance turned to his teammate, Keith had a foreign plant in his hand. “Allura wants us to bring back some Bio-samples for her to analyze.” Lance nodded and grabbed the closest flower. The head of the flower was large, about the size of his hand. Each petal came to a soft point, starting large at the base and tapering off at the end. It was a deep red, its petals were soft, like velvet. In the center of the flower was blue spots, they grew larger as they reached the center. It was quiet beautiful, Lance noted, he wondered if Keith would like it.

Just as Lance was about to leave, something snaked its way around his ankle and gripped tight. He shrieked as he was pulled down, his face slamming onto the cold ground, his helmet was knocked off and he was dragged into the water. Keith whipped around from Lance’s cry and watched as Lance was pulled under.

“Lance! Hold on.” Lance couldn’t make out much, he barely had time to take in a breath before he was under water. The water was warm, its glow prohibited him from seeing Keith. With his knife drawn, Keith dived into the water after him, slicing anything that tried to grab at him. When he reached Lance, he quickly cut the vine that was wrapped around his leg and grabbed Lance by his armpits. It felt like an eternity, with the weight of Lance and having to fight off multiple vines, it took them too long to brake the surface.

Keith dragged Lance onto the cave ground. He was unconscious, his heartrate slow. Keith panicked, Lance needed CPR. Keith quickly removed his chest piece and began his chest compressions. It was not working, he had too much water in his lungs. Keith pinched Lance’s nose and quickly breathed into Lance’s mouth. Panicked, Keith returned to his chest compressions, in is haste he heard one of Lance’s ribs crack.

“Shit! Lance. Buddy, don’t you fucking die on me. Come on for fucks sake.” Keith went to breathe into his mouth again when Lance started violently coughing up some water, Keith rolled him onto his side letting him breathe.

“Lance! Holy shit, are you okay?” Keith pushed Lance’s hair from his face, his hand lingered seconds longer then he intended.

“What the fuck was that?” Lance coughed, his lungs burned and his eyes stung.

“I don’t know but I don’t want to find out, we need to go.” Keith carefully picked Lance up and braced most of his weight on his shoulder. Lance did not have enough time or energy to pay attention to how close they were and how Keith was practically carrying him. “Shiro, come in. Lance almost drowned, we need to leave… Shiro?” Keith was running now, Lance felt like he was being dragged along. “Shit, they aren’t responding.”

“What happened?” Lance croaked, his chest felt like it was on fire. Coughing, Lance gripped his side in pain. Keith broke one of his ribs.

“I don’t know, we don’t know what was in that water but it could have messed with the coms.” Keith replied as he tightened his grip on Lance. Lance felt dizzy, he was still coughing up water, his head hurt. It felt like there was someone pounding the inside of his skull. The last thing he remembered was Keith telling him to hang in there and everything would be ok.

♥♥♥

When Lance woke up he was greeted by Keith as he stumbled out of the healing pod, his legs felt like noodles.

“I got you, don’t worry.” Keith said as he caught Lance.

“What happened, where is everyone?” Lance felt ten times better but his legs still felt weak.

“You passed out after you almost drowned. Coran said there was something in the water and it got into our bodies, I don’t know. You better now though…right?” Lance nodded as Keith carefully sat him down beside the pod. Lance could feel his strength returning. “And uh we have a problem…” Keith avoided Lance’s eyes. Lance looked around. Where was everyone? Why didn’t they greet him, why was it just Keith?

When the common room doors slid open Lance almost fainted. Inside the room was Allura, Pidge, Hunk, and Shiro. They were all babies.

“This is a fucking joke, right?” Lance laughed, his hand on his stomach. Keith’s face was dead serious. “Wait where did you get baby look a-likes.” Lance continued to laugh. Keith sighed and picked up a wondering baby Pidge and carefully set her back down with the others. The realization hit lance like a brick. “Holy fucking shit! They turned into babies?” His voice cracking.

“Shh, no cursing around the children. And yes, they turned into babies.” Keith was very serious, his mouth pressed into a hard line. His arms were crossed across his chest, hair falling around his face. Baby Shiro started pulling on baby Allura’s hair and she screamed. Keith sighed and picked Allura up, setting her on his hip.

“They are babies… like real babies…” Lance felt he was still in his pod, this was a dream. Keith nodded as he sat down on the sofa, Shiro had climbed up next to him, crossing his arms in protest.

“Yep, and now we, being you, me and Coran, have to figure out how to change them back. Until then we have to take care of them.” Keith stated as he bounced Allura on his knee. Pidge and Hunk were playing with toy cars, their giggles bouncing off the walls. Where did they get toys?

“Wait what? I don’t know how to take care of kids… how are we supposed to do that?” Lance was feeling dizzy again, babies were scary. All they did was poop and cry and fight. He was the younger brother, he didn’t know how to care for a baby. He had a puppy but that was different and even then his older brother took care of it.

“I do, it’ll be fine. Just help me keep an eye on them.” Keith was smiling at Allura, her giggles were bubbly and cute. Shit, Lance would never be able to look at her the same again. Hunk and Pidge lost interest in the toys and found themselves talking to each other, if Lance could call it talking.

Hunk was in a yellow onesie with built in shoes, you know, like the ones with the rubber dots on the bottom so they wouldn’t slip. He still had a yellow ribbon around his head. Pidge was in a diaper and a green shirt, one foot had a small white sock on it, the other didn’t. Shiro was in black lion footie pajamas, his hood pulled over his head showing the lions face. He was still pouting on the sofa. Allura was in a pale blue dress, her hair was in bun on top of her head. How was her hair still long?

“Where did these clothes come from?” Lance asked as he sat next to Shiro.

“Coran had them, they were all Allura’s when she was a baby.”

“Oh. So who found them?” Lance ducked, a toy truck barely missing his head. Lance glared at Pidge, her hands behind her back as she avoided his gaze.

“Coran did. After I carried you onto the ship, you scared me man. I thought you died.” Keith’s smile faltered. Lance couldn’t help but blush, the thought of Keith carrying him running through his mind.

“Nope. Not dead. And thanks man, I mean you did break my rib, but hey I’m alive right?” Keith rolled his eyes and chuckled, Lance’s heart fluttered.

“Hey, you’re welcome for saving your life.”

♥♥♥

Keith was surprisingly good with kids. Lance just about died when he walked into the common room. Keith had all the babies seated in a circle around him, listening to him tell a story. Their big, bright eyes focused on Keith as he spoke, engrossed with every word he said.

Lance leaned against the wall by the door, his arms across his chest with a small smile on his lips. He would admit, Lance enjoyed seeing Keith like this, surrounded by small children. Keith had tied his hair up in a ponytail, his bangs framing his face. Keith’s voice was soft and his tone was soothing. He was sitting legs crossed, his jacket tossed onto the sofa. Lance couldn’t follow the story, something about Voltron, he was too busy admiring Keith. Keith’s eyes lit up with every word. There was something about a man taking care of children that made Lance swoon.

Keith hadn’t noticed Lance enter the room, He was preoccupied entertaining the children. Shiro wobbled when he stood, his arms wailing as he tried to keep his balance. Once he deemed himself stable enough, he waddled over to where Lance stood, the soft patting of his bare feet alerted Keith. He looked up from the group and smiled sweetly at Lance making his heart beat faster. Playing cool, Lance waved and smoothly pushed himself off the wall. He could feel his cheeks burn, he was blushing. Keith’s smiled was rare, he usually had a stoic look on his face and his mouth pressed in a hard line. Lance enjoyed it when Keith smiled, it softened his face, a small dimple appeared on his right cheek. Lance, found it endearing.

Shiro had finally reached Lance and he reached out his arms, he wanted Lance to pick him up. Hell no, Shiro was his leader, the mighty black paladin. It was weird to see him so small and vulnerable. Shiro began whining, his hands grasping at the air. Lance rolled his eyes and carefully picked the small paladin up. Shiro was lighter than he expected well he wasn’t a grown man anymore. Lance chuckled, Shiro was kind of cute as a baby, although he would never admit it to anyone.

“I think he likes you.” Keith smiled, Pidge crawled into his lap. Keith’s expression was warm, he was different like this. Lance thought it was cute, he knew he had it bad.

“What’s not to like? I’m handsome, smart, the best sharpshooter here, imma catch.” Lance winked, Shiro laid his head onto Lance’s shoulders, the smallest of yawns escaping is lips. The small tuft of white hair on his head tickled Lance’s chin.

“Shut up.” Keith laughed, “I think it’s time for a nap.” He smiled, his voice softer when he addressed the children.

“Nah I’m good. Thanks though.”

“Not you dumba- Lance.” Keith caught himself, “the babies.”

“This is so weird. They still are our team.” Shiro’s breathing had evened out, his chest barely moving with each breath. His eyes were closed and he had his small arms wrapped around Lance’s neck.

“I know, but it’s because they are our team that we have to take care of them.” Keith replied.

Lance hummed his agreement and carefully took a sleepy Pidge from Keith. With a baby in both arms, Lance followed Keith out of the common room. Keith had Allura rested on his hip, Hunk’s small hand in his.

To Keith, holding a baby on his hip was no problem, hell they were made for it apparently. Lance couldn’t help but stare, admiring how easy it was for Keith. Lance on the other hand struggled to hold Shiro and Pidge up. Sure, Shiro was light at first but walking with him while trying to hold on to a slipping Pidge proved to be a challenge. He carefully hoisted Shiro up, to better hold him and prevented him from falling. Lance had small, boney hips, he couldn’t hold a child for shit.

“This way. Coran set up this room with a few cribs and a changing station.” Keith whispered, Allura had fallen asleep too. Pidge was close behind, her head lolling about.

Keith laid Allura in one of four bassinets. She grabbed a hold of a pink lion plush, her eyelids heavy. Allura was fighting it, Lance could see her eyes flutter close only to be forced open. Hunk was carefully lifted off the floor and into a crib. He plopped down with a soft thud and took the yellow lion plush from Keith. Pidge was spilling out of Lance’s grip, barely holding on to her small body.

“Here, gimmie.” Keith grabbed Pidge and placed her gently into a crib, she was fast asleep.

“Thanks, come on Shiro, time for bed.” Lance cooed, he laid the black paladin in a bassinet. Shiro stirred but remained asleep. Lance placed a black lion in his arms as he tucked him in. “They are kinda cute.”

“Yeah, too bad they can’t be this quiet when they are normal.” Keith paused, Lance chuckled. Keith made a joke, well to be fair he made jokes a lot, this one was actually funny. Keith smiled and grabbed Lance by the arm and led him out of the room. He flipped the light switch by the door and shut the door behind him.

“So, what now?” Lance asked, his heart fluttered. Keith still had his arm wrapped around Lance’s as they walked towards the kitchen.

“We eat and come up with a plan.”

“A plan for what?”

“How to raise four babies.” Keith laughed.

“And were not even married.” Lance joked, Keith’s cheeks reddened. Lance’s heart raced faster as they entered the kitchen, arms still linked.


	2. Keith's Pining Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go, Keith's pov and boy is it deep. I just love these boys. Anyways, I hope you like it.

There was something about Lance, his presence, his voice, his attitude, something about him made Keith’s heart flutter. Yeah, Lance could be annoying on occasion, but most of the time Keith found him endearing. They had this feud going, some sort of self-proclaimed rivalry. Keith liked teasing Lance, playing his game. He thought of it as a reason to talk to Lance, to joke and tease him, any reason to be close to the blue paladin.

Four years flew by, Keith remembered the day they first met, when he went to save Shiro and Lance waltzed into the tent. Keith knew who he was, who wouldn’t? Lance was unforgettable, his deep blue eyes and tan skin. Keith would often admire Lance back at the Garrison, how he was so confident and sure of himself. Keith wished he had gotten to know him then, maybe things would be different, could he have told Lance how he felt? When Keith left the Garrison, he never thought this is where he would be, in outer space, fighting aliens, being an alien, saving the universe, and falling for Lance.

Lance’s heart monitor beeped, a steady rhythm, strong. Keith paced in front of his healing pod, waiting, watching. He did not want to let Lance out of his sights again. Last time did not end well for him. When they were in that cave, Keith was distracted. He would never admit it, how he couldn’t focus on the task at hand because he was too busy admiring Lance, the way he looked in the cave, how he smiled in awe at the beauty of it. Keith caught himself watching Lance study that flower, how Lance was focused and Keith noticed how his face seemed to soften at it, as if he was thinking about something. Keith had turned around to hide his face, he needed to get back to the castle anyways. When Lance screamed, Keith felt his heart sink in his chest. When Keith turned around and Lance was pulled under, he knew he had to do something, he wasn’t thinking, he never was when it came to Lance. He just grabbed his knife and dived in after him.

Keith almost cried, he’s not going to deny that. Lance was so close to dying, he wasn’t breathing and his heartrate was too slow. Keith knew he needed to do something and he was thankful he could, that his emotions were out of the way. When he heard Lance’s ribs crack, Keith freaked out. The sound echoed throughout the cave, bouncing off the walls. Thankfully Lance came to, a huge sigh of relief.

Keith was so fucking grateful he managed to resuscitate Lance. He almost kissed him for real, the thought of losing him hurt too much. He was happy however, that Lance was alive, until he passed out. Keith cursed and carefully picked Lance up and ran as fast as he could to the ship. Lance wasn’t heavy, well he was but Keith didn’t care, he wanted Lance to be okay. Keith thought he looked pale, his beautiful brown skin was a shade too light. Keith’s heart dropped and he ran faster. Thankfully Coran had helped Lance into the pod and turned it on or whatever. Keith barely heard Coran the whole time.

“Keith, where are the other Paladins and the Princess?”

“Huh? Oh, I don’t know. My coms aren’t working.” Keith replied, finally taking his eyes off Lance.

“Yes, they are, it says so here.” Coran showed Keith his tablet, working was written in green next to Keith’s name, clear as day.

“What, they aren’t replying.” Keith began to panic again. Coran sighed and placed a reassuring hand on Keith’s shoulder.

“It’s ok, stay here with Lance. I’ll go look for them.”

“Are you sure? I can go back, I can look-” Coran gave him a knowing look and shook his head. He handed Keith the tablet and left the room.

Keith turned his attention back to Lance, his heartrate beeped, the lines bouncing along the screen.

♥♥♥

Coran’s voice was panicked and shrill in Keith’s ear. “Keith, uh I need your help. We have a little situation.”

“What is it Coran, is everyone alright?” Keith asked, he hoped they were ok.

“Uh, well yes and no. I think you should just come her now. I’m sending you the coordinates now.” Keith’s helmet lit up with the map, a small blinking dot indicated where Coran was.

Keith gave Lance one last look and took off towards Coran’s location.

♥♥♥

There were many things going through Keith’s mind about what happened to the Paladins. None of them was anywhere close to what had happened. Keith skidded to a stop next to Coran, and the sight before him was one of the more crazier things he’s seen in a long time.

“Uh, Coran?” Keith puzzled.

“Yeah, I don’t know what the quiznak happened here.” Pidge, Hunk, Shiro, and Allura were all sitting in the pink grass, their suits in piles around them. They were all toddlers. Keith pinched his arm, wincing at the pain. Ok he was awake, so why the hell were his team mates sitting in the grass, butt naked, and twenty years younger.

“Uh, so what are we going to do Coran?” Keith asked, just then Shiro, well younger Shiro crawled over to Keith, his baby butt in full view. Keith shrieked and held out his hand, blocking his view.

“Well first let’s take them back to the castle. There we can make sure they are ok. Then we can figure out how to fix this. Grab some babies Keith.” Coran commanded with a twist of his mustache. Keith hesitated. He did not want to see his fellow team members as naked toddlers. Coran huffed and placed Shiro and Pidge in Keith’s arms. Coran picked up Allura and hunk in his arms and made his way back to the ship.

The walk back was long, Keith had not noticed on his way there. Shiro and Pidge were starting to get heavy and their constant squirming made it harder. Allura had busied herself playing with Coran’s ginger mustache. Hunk was asleep.

“Uh, Coran? Why are Lance and I not babies?” Keith asked. Maybe it was Zarkon, or one of his pawns. This could be some crazy scheme to get rid of Voltron. Lance and Keith were in a cave, maybe they were protected.

“I don’t know, that’s what we need to find out.” Coran was sweating now. The planets two suns made it very hot here. Keith had sweat dripping down his back, Shiro was starting to slip out of his arms.

Once back on the ship, Coran insisted on physicals for each paladin. Keith stayed closed to Lance’s pod, catching himself checking his vitals. Lance was fine, Keith knew that, he just couldn’t help checking on him. The thought of losing him was scary, plus Lance looked peaceful in his sleep. His brown skin looked better, pinker. Lance’s hair had changed over the past four years, at some point he had gotten an undercut. That day changed Keith’s life forever. He remembered when Lance first walked into the common room, hair freshly shaven. Keith’s heart stopped, Lance was breathtaking. Who would have known a haircut could make someone look so good? Lance looked older, more mature, and his high cheekbones were prominent now. That was three years ago, now Lance’s hair was longer. He still had the undercut, but the hair on top sat in a cute ponytail.

Heck, all the paladins had ponytails now, even Shiro, well older Shiro. Keith’s hair had grown a lot since then, his mullet had finally grown out. Lance was happy about that. Keith’s hair was long, the thick, dark strands falling over his shoulders. However, he usually kept it tied back and out of the way.

A cough from Coran caught Keith’s attention. “Hey, he will be ok. He’s safe now.”

“I know, I just need to be sure. I can’t lose hi- I mean we can’t lose anyone.” Keith corrected. Coran tilted his head and smirked.

“I know. Anyways, watch them. I’m going to see if I can find them some clothes.” Keith nodded and Coran left.

♥♥♥

“Coran, it’s been four days.” Keith was pacing in front of Lance’s pod, again.

“Relax, he’s almost ready. Five more ticks.” Keith rolled his eyes and watched Lance impatiently. “Im going to go check on the children.” Coran stated, Keith waved him off and continued biting his nails. It was a nasty habit but he was nervous.

Finally, Lance’s pod opened and out stumbled Lance, legs wobbly. “I got you, don’t worry.” Keith smiled.

“What happened, where is everyone?” Lance’s hair fell, covering his face.

“You passed out after you almost drowned. Coran said there was something in the water and it got into our bodies, I don’t know. You better now though…right?” Lance nodded and slowly rose to his feet, bracing a hand on Keith’s shoulder to stabilize himself. Lance’s hand burned Keith’s skin, sending chills down his spine.

♥♥♥

Lance and Keith stepped foot into the kitchen, arms still linked. Lance wanted Keith to never let go, where their skin touched sent warmth throughout Lance’s arm. Keith sighed, removing himself from Lance.

“Who is going to cook? Hunks not here and I don’t want Coran to cook goo. I am so tired of goo.” Keith sighed, plopping down into a chair at the table.

“I’ll cook.” Lance replied. Keith raised an eyebrow, puzzled. “What?” he asked.

“You can cook?”

“Yes, I can cook. Who said I couldn’t?”

“No, it’s just I thought-” Keith muttered, resting his head on his elbow.

“Well you thought wrong pretty boy. I am a great cook. Hunk is just better.” Lance retorted, hands on his hips. Keith blushed and chuckled. “Follow me.”

Keith rose from his seat and motioned ‘after you’ with his arms and followed Lance into the Kitchen. Lance smiled and stood in the entrance, hands on his hips.

“Where to begin.” Lance sighed. Pulling his hair up, Lance bit the hair-tie on his wrist and pulled it off, carefully tying his hair up. Thankfully the crew made a trip to a planet with familiar earth foods, like meat and vegetables. Lance actually had something to work with and did a little dance to himself in triumph. Keith grabbed a stool and sat at the island. Lance began pulling out cutting boards and utensils and pulled out his tablet, pressing play. The quiet kitchen was soon filled with Frank Sinatra’s smooth voice. Lance smiled and swayed his hips to the music as he continued prepping. There was something about his music that resonated with Lance, the way his voice made him want to dance.

“What are you making today chef.” Keith commented, mouth curled into a sly smile. Lance pulled out fish from the refrigerator and set it on the counter.

“Fish. My abuela made it when I was little. Do you like fish?” Lance hesitated, unsure. Keith nodded with a smile. Lance sighed in relief and continued prepping. “First we season the fish. A little lemon, some herbs, and mi abuela’s secret ingredient.” Lance winked at Keith.

Keith’s heart fluttered in his chest. How could Lance be so casual, flirting like that. It was if he didn’t try at all, like it all came naturally. Keith rested his chin in his hand, supported by his elbow on the island. He studied Lance as he cooked. The way he danced a little as he worked, it was endearing. Keith smiled to himself, imagining what it would be like to dance with him. Keith was _not_ a good dancer, not even close, but the thought of Lance dancing with him made a knot form in his gut. Lance sang along to the music, his voice low and sweet. Dammit, Lance was the total package.

“Have you ever had rice and beans?” Lance asked, not turning from the stove. The ship’s kitchen lacked a rice pot, so Lance had to improvise.

“I’ve had rice. I’ve had beans.” Keith replied. Lance chuckled.

“No, like rice and black beans mixed _together_. It’s made with like ever Cuban meal ever.”

Keith shook his head, “no I don’t think I have. Is it good?”

Lance huffed, “Is it good… yeah I’ll say so. Reminds me of home back in Miami. My mom would cook it quite a bit.” Lance’s entire demeanor changed, he stopped dancing and his shoulders slouched. Keith sat up and slid off the stool.

“Hey,” Keith put a comforting hand on Lance’s shoulders. “I know how much you miss your family. I wonder if after all of this,” Keith motioned to the air around them, “we can have Allura take us back to Earth for a while.” Lance perked up at the thought, a small smile on his face. His eyes were watery but he seemed to fight back the tears. It was hard leaving everything and everyone behind.

“Well the rice is done; can you help get some plates.” Lance was back, dancing and shaking his hips to the music. Keith smiled and walked over to the cabinets. Lance hummed along to the music as he plated dinner. It looked good and smelled amazing. Keith had not noticed how hungry he was until his stomach growled. Lance laughed and sat in the stool next to Keith.

Lance urged Keith to take a bite with a smile and point of his fork, his mouth already full of rice and beans. Keith nodded and scooped up some of the rice. Wow, it was good, like, really good. There was something about the beans, they added flavor to rice. Keith had quickly shoveled more into his mouth, his hand reaching out to catch the rice falling from his mouth. Lance snorted and almost choked on his food.

“Slow down there, I know I’m a good cook but this is just rice and beans. Wait till you try the fish.” Lance laughed at Keith as he tried to swallow. Keith took his fork and cut off a piece of fish. He’s had fish before so what’s new.

“Mother fucker.” Keith choked out, “This is so fucking good Lance, like a hundred times better then food goo.” Lance blushed and looked at his plate. Keith actually liked it, he was worried he wouldn’t. “Maybe when we go back to earth you can get more stuff to make.”

“Yeah, maybe. Do you cook?” Lance asked between mouthfuls.

“Sometimes. My halmeoni used to cook and I would often help but after she passed I stopped cooking.”

“I’m sorry man.” Lance replied, his voice kinder. Keith shrugged and continued eating. It was a long time ago and he had other things to focus on.

Coran’s voice could be heard over the intercoms in the kitchen. “Boys, can you meet me in the bridge when you are done.” Lance quickly scarfed the rest of his food down and put his plate in the sink. Keith took his last bite and followed.

♥♥♥

When they enter the bridge, Coran was hunched over his station quickly typing away. Lance glanced at Keith who shrugged.

“Coran, what’s up.” Lance asked as he stood behind the older Altean.

“Well I think I know what happened to the others.” Coran said, not looking up from his screen.

“What? Was it Zarkon?” Keith asked, eyebrows knitted together.

“No, it was this planet. Something in the atmosphere changed them.”

“Like the air poisoned them?” Lance asked.

“No, well sort of. It didn’t poison them. The air has these tiny particles in it and if inhaled for too long, the person reverts back to a child.”

“Then why did Lance and I not turn into babies?”

“That’s what I am still trying to figure out along with how to turn them back.” Lance put his hand on his chin, pinching as if coming up with a plan.

“Was it the water? You know, the one I almost drowned in?” Coran opened his mouth to interject but quickly closed it in thought.

“You might be on to something number three. I’ll get some samples and report back. Until then can you guys continue watching the others?” Coran replied, fingers typing away furiously on the screen. Keith and Lance nodded and left Coran to work. They were one step closer to figuring out what happened and how they can fix it.

♥♥♥

“Pidge, no. You cannot put that in your mouth. Pidge! Please!” Lance pleaded, Pidge was crawling around, her sock once again missing, and her bayard in her mouth. Thankfully it wasn’t activated, but it gave Lance a heart attack none the less. “Pidge, give me that.” Lance held out his hand, Pidge huffed and handed Lance her bayard. Lance turned around to put it on a shelf when he spotted Hunk climbing said shelf. “Hunk! Oh my god! Keith, get your ass in here. I’m struggling!” Lance shouted. The common room doors opened and in came Keith, the collar of his shirt stretched out, his hair was in a messy bun, and he was missing a shoe.

“What Lance, I asked you to watch these two and you can’t even do that? Shiro needs a bath. Do you want to do it?” Keith asked, he had bags under his eyes and he looked pale. Lance shook his head and ran over to catch Hunk before he fell.

“Keith, man, I am dying here. They don’t stay still and Pidge keeps trying to take things apart.” Lance was crying now, he was so tired. The last time he slept properly was two days ago, when he was in his healing pod.

“Just distract them. It’s not difficult.”

“Maybe not for you. You’re great with kids, I suck ass.” Keith smirked, his face slightly warm from Lance’s compliment.

“Yeah, well I don’t know what to tell you man. Just keep them busy until it’s their turn.” Keith sighed and turned to walk out the door.

“Wait! Ok, what if we bathe them all at the same time. Maybe it will be easier, we can keep track of them and get it done faster.” Lance grinned, hopeful his plan would work. Keith sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. His other hand was placed on his hip.

“Fine, whatever. Bring them in there I’ll get Shiro and Allura. The baths ready.” Lance almost cheered, he did _not_ want to be alone with these two any longer. They were a handful when they were adults.

The bathtub was large, almost the size of a kiddy pool. Lance often enjoyed taking baths here, putting on a face mask, lighting some candles. It was one of his favorite things to do in his free time. The bath was in the center of the room. On the far wall was a bench and a cabinet. Towels laid across the bench, one of Keith’s boots laid forgotten on the floor. Lance chuckled to himself and set Hunk and Pidge down on the bench. Keith walked in holding Shiro, the only thing on was a diaper. Allura was walking behind Keith, her dress pulled up over her hips, her tiny hands playing with the hem.

“Here.” Keith tossed a pair of Lance’s swim trunks at him, hitting Lance square in the face. “So we can sit in there with them.” Lance smiled, they were going to take a bath together.

Keith yelped when Shiro pinched his cheek, leaving behind a red mark. Shiro giggled and squirmed out of Keith’s hold. Lance chuckled and quickly raced after the black paladin. Shiro made it halfway out the door before Lance caught him.

“Where do you think you are going young man?” Lance asked, his face as serious as he could make it. He gave Shiro his best dad voice he could.

“Bring him back.” He heard Keith call out from the bathroom. Lance picked Shiro up, one arm wrapped around his stomach, the other arm was supporting Shiro under his butt. Keith chuckled when they walked into the room, he was already in his bathing suit. God, Lance liked the way Keith looked without a shirt on. Keith’s abs were tight, like damn. Four years of training and fighting would do that to you. Don’t get him started on Keith’s arms, because once Lance started he would not stop. Hunk knew that more than anyone. Lance had told Hunk about his crush early on. He remembered how un surprised Hunk was. Apparently, Lance was predictable and obvious.

Lance was torn away from his thought when Keith coughed. Keith’s face was red, the blush spreading down to his bare chest. Lance muttered a sorry and handed Shiro to the red paladin. Keith had already put the other three in the tub. Allura was splashing in the water. Pidge was playing with a toy car, making vroom noises. Hunk was floating, his arms and legs spread out. Lance laughed uncontrollably, seeing his best friend floating in the tub, twenty years younger. This was good blackmail material, even Pidge would be proud of him. Lance quickly pulled out his tablet and snapped a quick photo of the children. Keith was standing aside, hands on his hips, a grin on his face.

“Change.” Keith demanded, the moment over. “We have babies to bathe.” Lance sighed and laid his tablet on the counter.

Lance pulled his tank-top over his head with one hand. He unbuttoned his jeans and let them fall in a puddle at his feet. When he reached for his boxers, Keith almost yelped. He was totally staring at Lance, watching him strip. Keith quickly turned his attention to the others and covered his burning face with his hands. Holy shit was Lance beautiful, and he was so confident. Here they were, in the bathroom, and Lance was stripping in front of him. Everything about Lance screamed confidence. Ever since the garrison, Lance had been so sure of himself.

Keith sighed, Shiro had pulled his hair halfway out of its bun. He re-tied it up and turned to Lance. Lance was tying his swim trunks on, finishing with a bow. He grabbed the hair-tie off his wrist and tied his hair up as well.

Bathing four toddlers was harder then it looked. Keith and Lance were seated opposite each other in the large tub. Keith was washing Allura’s hair, she sat in front of him patiently. Lucky for Keith, Lance on the other hand had to wash Pidge and that is not the easiest thing to do. She would not sit still, squirming and whining as Lance tried to wash her hair. At one point, she even splashed Lance in the face and took off. Keith was trying to keep a straight face, something about not enabling them.

“How are you doing that?” Lance asked. Keith was rinsing out Allura’s hair now, his free hand covering her face, keeping the water from getting in her eyes.

“I don’t know, I guess they like me.” Keith smiled.

“Whatever, I see how Shiro is with you.”

“Yeah, that’s just him. The others like me.” Keith was laughing now. Lance had moved on to Shiro, lathering his hair. Shiro would not sit still, every chance he got he would slip out of Lance’s soapy hands.

“Ugh! Why can’t Coran do this?”

“Because he is trying to fix this.” Keith sighed, gesturing to their situation. Lance mumbled and tried to coax Shiro into rinsing off his hair.

After a moment, Lance spoke up, his deep voice breaking the silence of the bathroom. “Hey, Keith. What if we can’t fix them?” Keith looked up at Lance. He was serious now, no longer joking around, Lance looked worried. His face twisted with worry and what looked like guilt.

“Hey, Lance, it’s not your fault. And Coran will fix this, we will fix this.” Keith consoled. The children had turned their attention to each other, playing with the toys available. To Keith’s surprise, they were getting along. Keith slid over to Lance and hesitated. He wanted to hold Lance, to pull him into his chest and comfort him. Instead, he grabbed Lances hand and leaned down to get his attention. “I promise, we will fix this. It’s not your fault, there was nothing we could have done.”

“Yeah huh. We could have been with them, we could have…” Lance was at a loss for words. What could they have done? If they were with them, Keith and Lance would be in the same predicament as the others, young and helpless. However, a part of Lance felt guilty, as if they got out lucky.

“Hey, listen. I know this is scary and I know this is hard, but we have to be strong. You are strong Lance.” Lance snorted and looked at their linked hands. “Really, you are. You almost died and here you are, alive, with me, with us.” Keith could feel his cheeks warm. Something in him told him to tell Lance everything, how he felt, how much he cared. “Lance, I-” Just then Allura started crying, turning their attention back to the others. Hunk and Pidge were sitting at the edge of the bath, they were watching Shiro and Allura fight over a toy.

“Hey, Shiro. Be nice.” Lance let Keith’s hand go and slid over to the others. Keith watched as Lance tried to convince them to get along. Keith looked down at his hand, how it felt cold despite the warm water. He was so close, he wanted to tell Lance how he felt, but how would Lance react. Would he feel the same? What if he didn’t.

Keith shook his head, clearing his mind and stood up. “I’ll get the towels.” Keith stepped out of the tub, his trunks dripping water onto the mat.

 

“Stand still Pidge.” Lance sighed, he was trying to dry her hair off, but once again she was trying to escape. Keith laughed, Shiro in his arms with a towel wrapped around him. “Keith, bud. A little help here?”

“No can do man, I have my hands full.” Keith grinned, lifting Shiro up to prove a point.

“Hands full of what. Put him down.” Lance pleaded, Pidge was running around naked.

“Nope, you know Shiro, any chance to run, he’s gone.” Lance groaned and swooped Pidge into the towel he had. Hunk stood patiently by the door, holding up the towel wrapped around his body. Allura stood next to him, her small arms wrapped around her frame. At least they were good, Pidge and Shiro were the worst. Lance swore he would get payback when they fixed their situation.

“Come on, let’s get them dressed and fed.” Keith stated, taking Hunks hand as he walked to the kid’s room. Lance groaned, not dinner.

♥♥♥

Finally, the kids were fed and in bed. Hunk practically passed out before his head even hit the pillow. Keith flicked off the light and the door slid closed behind him. Lance sighed, dramatically, and slid down the wall, sitting on the hall floor. Keith smiled down at him.

“What are you doing.” Keith asked.

“Shhhh, I am resting.” Lance replied, voice barely above a whisper.

“Come on, we can rest on the couch.” Keith held out his hand, Lance frowned, as if the thought of moving would kill him. He grabbed Keith’s outstretched hand and pulled himself up.

“Fine, but we are watching a movie. Something other than Teletubby’s.” Keith chuckled and threw his arm around Lances shoulders.

“Sure, whatever you want.” Lance smiled and led them down the hall to the common room.

♥♥♥

Keith tried, he tried to watch the movie, he tried to focus on something other than Lance. He failed. Lance was engrossed in the film, something from the 80’s, Lance picked it out. Keith was staring, he couldn’t help it. Lance was smiling, his eyes reflecting the tv. What was it about those deep blue eyes that had Keith’s stomach in knots and his chest tight. Lance was sprawled out on the sofa, his legs were in Keith’s lap, his hands rested on Lance’s ankles. Keith was gently rubbing circles on his ankle with his thumb. He didn’t know how they ended up here, at some point Lance had laid across Keith, throwing his arms up dramatically. Keith smiled, most of the time Lance was a drama queen, always complaining and over exadurating, but it was times like this when Keith liked Lance the most. When he was relaxed, Lance’s walls were down and Keith could really see him, see the person underneath.

“Hey, Keith?” Lance was quiet, his voice soft. He wasn’t looking at Keith, his attention was still on the television. Keith looked away, embarrassed. “I never really got to thank you for saving me. If you weren’t there I... I would be… I wouldn’t be here and… well thanks.” Keith blushed, a small smile tugging at his lips.

“No shit. I couldn’t let you die. You’re our sharpshooter, we need you. This team is nothing without you Lance.” Keith wanted to say more, to tell him how he was nothing without Lance.

“Really?” Lance sat up and was sitting, legs crossed, facing Keith. “That really means a lot.” Keith noticed Lance was staring at his hands, his eyes searching for something.

“Hey, are you alright? You know you can talk to me.” Lance looked up to Keith, his eyes studying Keith’s face.

“Yeah. I don’t know it’s stupid.” Keith frowned.

“Tell me. I’m sure it’s not stupid.” Lance sighed and shrugged his shoulders.

“I don’t know, it’s just… sometimes I feel like a seventh wheel, like sometimes the team doesn’t really need me. Like what do I bring to the table, I’m not smart like Pidge or Hunk, I’m nowhere near as strong as Shiro. Then there is you, you are the greatest pilot I have ever met, you can fly through anything. You are smart, and quick thinking. And you are good with kids! Like where did that come from?” Keith laughed. He tried not to, he wanted to be serious for Lance but he couldn’t help it. He quickly slapped his hands over his mouth. “See! I told you.” Lance sunk into the couch, covering his face with his arms.

“Lance.” Keith sighed, grabbing Lance’s wrist and pulled them away from his face, forcing Lance to look at him. “I wasn’t laughing at you. I was laughing at how you think I’m good with kids. I am literally winging it. And you are amazing Lance.” Lance locked eyes with Keith. Oh, how he could get lost in those blue eyes. “You are an amazing pilot, you are a paladin of Voltron, you are an amazing shot. Remember when you saved everyone by shooting Sendack's arm off! You literally woke up, saved us, then passed out. Lance, I don’t think you understand how valuable you are to m- us.”

Lance’s ears perked up, a warmth spreading across his face and down to his chest. He swore he heard Keith say me, there is no way he was imagining it. Lance smiled, maybe Keith was right.

“Thanks, I really needed that.” Lance’s eyes lingered on Keith’s face before he turned his attention back to the movie.

This was a side to Lance he’s never seen before. The unsure side, the insecure. Keith wanted to shower him with praise, tell him how important he was. He hated seeing Lance like this, seeing how he really thought of himself. Lance was good at faking it, better then Keith had ever been. Lance was stronger than he knew, he had nothing to be insecure about. Everything Keith said was true, he meant every word.

Keith watched Lance out of the corner of his eye, he was half focused on the movie. Lance had finally calmed down. Keith’s throat felt tight with the words he couldn’t bring himself to say. How Lance made his stomach flip in his gut, how his insides turned to mush. Lance made Keith do stupid things but somehow Keith didn’t care. He would do anything for him and if he had to keep his secret longer, he would.

At some point, Lance had fallen asleep, his head rested against Keith’s arm. Lance snored in his sleep. They weren’t loud snores, subtle and cute. Keith smiled, his eyes feeling heavy. He was tired, he could feel it in his bones. Taking care of four toddlers was exhausting. Lance’s warmth radiated through Keith’s body, a welcoming feeling after today. Keith fought sleep, he wanted to stay awake, to be in this moment just a little longer. Sleep eventually took over and Keith was out, head resting on top of Lance’s.

Coran walked into the room, he had a few questions for Keith. He smiled, his fingers twisting his mustache. Keith and Lance were asleep on the couch, leaning on each other. Those boys, they were crazy for each other and neither of them knew it. It wasn’t his place to say anything, he knew they would know when the time was right. Coran walked over and turned off the television. The room was engulfed in sudden darkness. Taking a blanket, Coran covered the two paladins and left them to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so I wanted some homesick Lance but i still wanted him to cook for Keith and all so i made up the planet thing because if they had been home he wouldn't be homesick you know. Anyways, halmonie means grandma in Korean. That's what i call mine all the time so why wouldn't Keith. She might not be real in the cannon universe but hey, the others are toddlers rn so who cares.  
> Also i would have Lance cook something authentic but like i said, they have limited resources. Also i hope y'all like their hair, like i saw a drawing with Lance with an undercut and i was in love so i kept it, and don't get me started on ponytail Keith.  
> Thanks for reading and i hope you liked it. If there are any questions please ask, if there are mistakes please let me know, i am writing this on my own so i might skip past some.


	3. Got it Bad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is thought both boys point of view, after waking up in the common room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So as you guys can tell I have decided on finishing this story in five chapters, it might change but i'm pretty sure ill finish in five. I know there is not a clear point of view here but I couldn't help it, i love both these boys and want both of their pining. I hope you like it and i plan to make some confessions soon!

This was not Lance’s room, and he was very aware he was not in his bed. One, his neck hurt, pain shooting all the way down his back. Two, he could feel Keith asleep pressed beside him, his arm wrapped around Lance, holding him in a tight embrace. Lance looked up, Keith’s face only inches from his, his expression soft and really cute. Holy shit. Lance looked around, blinking away the blurriness of sleep. His eyes focused on the tv, then the blanket. Oh yeah, they were watching a movie, guess they fell asleep. His memory of last night flooding in, his face growing warm with embarrassment. Had he really told Keith all that last night? Keith was so nice too, he _actually_ cared about Lance last night and the things he said to him made Lance feel better, about everything.

Keith stirred beside him and pulled Lance closer to his chest. Lance held his breath, careful not to wake him up. Poor Keith, he was probably exhausted, he did more when it came to the taking care of the others. Lance would find Keith in the common room more often than not, surrounded by the children, keeping an eye on them while Lance dicked around. He never had the ship to himself before. It was nice being able to explore the castle and do things without running into one of the other paladins. Usually, Lance would often find one of the other paladins wherever he went. Keith spent most of his time training, always fighting in that stupid simulation.

Lance found himself watching Keith when he was training one day. It was mesmerizing, the way he danced around the robots and defeated them with ease. With his hair tied up and sweat dripping down his face, Lance could not look away. Once, Lance had wanted to train a little, work on his hand to hand combat. Keith was, as usual, using the room. He was beautiful, his hair in a loose bun on top of his head, his shirt thrown absentmindedly somewhere, sweat dripping down his back. Lance stayed to watch, he leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. He studied the way Keith moved, how quick he was on his feet. Ducking and dodging every attack the robot made, countering with his own. The sound of Keith’s bayard rang through the room, bouncing off the walls.

Lance had barely noticed when Keith told the simulation to end, his mind was somewhere else. “Hey, what are you doing here?” Keith asked, wiping the sweat from his face with a spare towel. Keith had startled him, bringing Lance out of his daydream.

“Uh- I- uh- I wanted to train a little bit today, ya know, work on my fighting’ skills.” Lance stuttered. Way to play it cool Lance.

“Oh, do you wanna spar? ‘Cuz I could teach you a few things, if you want…” Keith stared at his feet, looking anywhere but Lance. He rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly conscious he was not wearing a shirt.

“Really?” Lance perked up excited. Hell yeah he wanted to fight Keith, he’s wanted to fight Keith since day one. Plus, Keith did know a lot about fighting and Lance could use the help. Keith nodded, shrugging his shoulders. “Cool!” Lance was beaming, his white teeth sparkling in the bright lights. Keith smiled, Lance’s smile did that, it was contagious.

“Ok, I’ll go easy on you. No weapons, just our hands.” Keith retracted his bayard and set it on the bench next to his water and shirt. He thought about putting his shirt back on but changed his mind. The way Lance was looking at him made his stomach flip.

“Oh yeah? Mano y mano. Bring it on pretty boy.” Lance smirked, fully stepping into the room, facing Keith.

“Pretty boy huh? So, you admit I’m pretty?” Keith replied, a sly smile on his face as he crossed his arms, jutting his hip out. He was hoping he was not a red as he felt, or that he could play it off from working out.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Let’s go!” Lance blushed, holding his fist up in a sub-par fighting stance.

“Your stance is weak, one gust of wind and you’re falling over.” Keith placed his hands on his hips. He had his work cut out for him.

“What? Who cares?” Lance questioned, widening his feet to prove a point. Keith rolled his eyes and stepped over to Lance. Placing his hands onto Lance’s hips, Keith adjusted his posture, moving his feet closer together with his foot and turning Lance’s body.

Keith’s hands felt like fire burning though the thin material of his t-shirt. His heart fluttered in his chest, he silently hoped Keith couldn’t hear how hard it was beating.

“There.” Keith said, sliding his hands from Lance’s waist, as if he did not want to let go. His fingers brushed at the exposed skin of Lance’s hips where his shirt had ridden up. Keith’s fingers sent electric waves throughout Lance’s skin and up his body. “You need to keep your feet like that, it will help keep you stable. Turn your body like this, it will protect your torso.” Lance nodded, pretending to understand what Keith was saying.

“Alright, I’m standing. Can I punch you now?” Lance asked, causing Keith to giggle. Oh, how Lance wanted to hear him do that again.

“Sure, if you can catch me.” Keith smirked, winking at Lance as he dodged his first swipe. Lance huffed and tried to get Keith in the gut. Easy, simple right? Punch his stomach. Nope, Keith hopped back and Lance’s fist struck air. Lance tried to kick Keith’s legs, well anywhere at this point. Keith smiled as he grabbed Lance’s ankle and turned his body around.

“Hey, careful.” Lance yelped. Keith laughed, dropping his leg, causing Lance to stumble forward.

“What, you suck.” Keith replied, smirking as Lance returned to a better fighting stance.

“Ugh, just stay still.” Lance huffed as he swung at Keith’s face. Keith ducked, returning a punch to Lance’s stomach. Lance bent over with an ‘oof’. Keith chuckled and backed up, giving Lance some space. Aggravated, Lance charged at Keith, his arm bent back ready to swing. Lance was swatted away, Keith’s arm blocking Lance’s attack. Keith countered with a punch to his side. Lance groaned but continued his assault.

“Ya know I can teach you how to fight properly. You don’t have to embarrass yourself.” Keith teased while effectively dodging Lance’s advances. Lance groaned _again_ and tried to kick Keith again. Keith rolled his eyes as he ducked, Lance’s foot striking the air above his head. Spinning on the ball of his foot, Keith swiped Lance’s leg out from under him. Lance hit the floor with a huff, his hands smacking the mat beneath him.

“Ok! Fine! Fucking teach me! I suck, I get it.” Lance shouted, sitting up and thrashing his arms around him. Keith chuckled, Lance looked like a child throwing a fit, his face flushed.

Keith rose to his feet and held out his hand to Lance. Lance smirked, grabbed Keith’s wrist and pulled him down. Keith was surprised and fell on top of him with a huff. Lance threw Keith onto the mat and pinned is arms down. Keith laughed, Lance was cute, he thought he could hold him down.

Keith wrapped his legs around Lance’s midsection, locking his ankles across his abdomen and slamming Lance onto his back. Keith kicked his legs up and rolled backwards, out of Lance’s grasp. Lance cursed, his arms splayed out beside him in defeat.

“Fuck you Kogane. You fucking suck you know that.” Lance cursed, crossing his arms over his chest in defeat, still lying on the floor. Keith chuckled, he told him but Lance didn’t listen.

“Come on, do you want me to teach you or not.” Keith sighed, crossing is arms as he stood over Lance, some lose strands of hair escaped his bun and framed his face. Lance rolled his eyes and halfheartedly swung his arms out, trying to knock Keith onto the ground. Keith stepped back and sighed. Lance cursed and sat up. “Ya done?”

“Yeah, I’m done.” Lance mocked.

“Good, we will start with the basics.” Keith could admit, Lance was a great shot. He could hit anything, moving or not. Fighting however, not is strong suit. He was ok, he could hold his own, but he was no match for Keith, not yet anyways.

♥♥♥

“Stand like this.” Keith demonstrated his stance, his feet apart, body turned and fist up. “You need to keep your footing, it’ll help when you get hit, and when you swing. It keeps you stable so you don’t fall over on impacts.” Lance nodded, trying to mimic Keith as best as he could. Keith continued after Lance finally got it. “Now, when you punch, do not swing out like this. It makes you slow and leaves your body exposed. I can easily doge your punches and hit you here.” Keith motioned to his midsection. “Instead punch like this, almost straight out. It gives you more power and you’re faster. Here, you try.”

Lance stood in front of the punching bag Keith had set up and tried mimicking Keith’s example. When he hit the bag, he could feel the difference. Keith smiled, glad Lance was finally getting it.

“Good, now keep trying, try to be fast and light on your feet. Lucky for you this bag doesn’t hit back, but people will so try to be prepared.” Lance nodded and continued punching the bag, hopping around on his toes to emphasize being light on his feet. Keith rolled his eyes and went with it, using his body to support the punching bag. Lance was hitting harder now, Keith could feel it.

♥♥♥

Lance laid sprawled out on the mat, hair sticking to his forehead with sweat. Keith was lying next to him, sweat dripping down his face, they were both breathing heavy. Lance could feel the mat sticking to his back, gross. Keith had flipped Lance over for the seventh time today and Lance had finally given up. As he laid there defeated, Keith started giggling to himself, his hand flying up to cover his face.

“What’s so funny…” Lance breathed out, he barely had the energy to speak.

“Nothing, I don’t know. This is just so weird.” Lance lifted his head to look at Keith, eyebrow raised, confused. “Well here we are, in outer space, sweaty and gross, and we are actually getting along. Like, did you ever think this is where we would be three years ago?” Keith asked, calmer now.

“You mean when you lived in you hobo shack in the desert and I was training to be a fighter pilot… no, I don’t think I did.” Lance had started laughing now, the idea sounded ridiculous now, him back on earth, at the Garrison.

“Right, and look at us now. Well don’t look at me, I’m all gross. You get it. You did really great today by the way.” Keith’s tone softened when he complimented Lance.

“Woah, you are actually complimenting me? Keith? You? Did you hit your head too hard in that last round?” Lance chuckled, cheeks pink from exertion and Keith.

“Ha, yeah you wish. I mean it Lance, you did really well.” Keith was staring at the celling, avoiding Lance’s gaze. Lance blushed and turned his attention to where he thought Keith was staring.

“Wow. Thanks man.” Lance replied after a short silence. It wasn’t uncomfortable, being with Keith never was. Keith would often hang out with Lance, most of the time he would find himself in the same room as Lance and read quietly. Lance enjoyed the company and he was sure Keith did too.

“Hey, are we bonding right now?” Keith smirked, sitting up on his elbows to look at Lance. Lance groaned and rolled away from where Keith was sitting. “Hey! Where are, you going? We had a moment there!” Keith feigned hurt, reaching out to Lance dramatically. Lance rolled his eyes and continued rolling away.

“Get away from meeeee!” Lance yelled, bumping into the bench with their water pouches, knocking them over and spilling them on himself.

Keith burst into laughter, gripping his stomach in pain where Lance had punched him. Lance shrieked, the water shocking against his heated skin.

“Mother fucker that’s cold.” Lance shouted. Keith froze, Lance was standing there, water dripping down his shirtless body. Keith almost choked on his own spit. Lance’s abs glistened in the bright lights, beads of water rolling down every inch of his body. Keith watched as the water flowed down Lance’s v-line, disappearing in his waistband of his sweatpants.

“Holy shit.” Keith breathed out. He slapped his hand over his mouth, he hoped Lance hadn’t heard him. Lance wiped the water off his chest and abdomen, bringing Keith out of his trance.

“Sorry man, I’ll get us more water.” Lance said, making his way over to where they keep the pouches. Keith suddenly realized the growing erection in his sweatpants. There was no way in hell he was going to spar with Lance like this and he did not think it would go away any time soon. Especially when Lance’s sweatpants slid lower off his hips, Keith could see the dimples on his back.

“Uh- sorry, I have- uh- something I need- uh- I gotta go help Shiro with something. Great job today, maybe next time huh Lance?” Keith hurried to the door, turning his body away from Lance, trying desperately to hide his growing problem. Keith slid out the door before Lance even had time to respond, chewing his lip as he tried to get his mind off Lance’s body. Lance just shrugged his shoulders and sipped on his water pouch. Grabbing a towel, Lance walked to his room to shower.

♥♥♥

Lance was way too comfortable to move besides, he didn’t want to wake Keith up, he looked so peaceful. Sighing, Lance sank further into Keith’s side and breathed him in. Keith smelled amazing, he smelled like the outdoors, spicy and intoxicating. Lance’s eyelids felt heavy, sleep taking hold once again. There was something nice about sitting here, in Keith’s arms, that put Lance right to sleep.

 

_Running but getting nowhere, my feet are like cinderblocks. I feel like I’m running in quicksand, why can’t I go faster! Screams, cries for help in the distance. Where am I? This place, its familiar. The rocky walls are damp and covered in moss, the ground is wet, my feet splashing in puddles. Screaming again. Who is that? Is it me? No, it can’t be I’m yelling out, crying out. For who? Lance! Lance, I’m calling for Lance. The screams are louder, I’m closer. Running now, faster. I need to get there. Silence. It’s quiet, I can’t hear him anymore, just the sound of my feet and my own cries. Lance! I cry out again… waiting… nothing… Lance! I get there, to the pool of water, I’m in the cave, Lance is drowning. I jump in, I grab Lance and pull him out. He’s not breathing. Lance! Why is my face wet…? I am crying. Lance, hes still not breathing. I do cpr… nothing, he isn’t breathing. Lance! Don’t die on me! Lance! His body, its cold, his warm smile, gone… his face is cold. Lance… wake up! I pull him into my arms, his body is limp, lifeless. I lean over him, I kiss him, my tears hitting is pale face… he’s gone._

Keith woke up breathing heavy, his chest felt tight and his eyes were watery. Was he crying? Oh yeah, his dream. It was about Lance, when he was drowning. Keith tried everything he could, nothing worked. Lance died in his arms.

Keith tried to steady his breathing, counting to four then breathing out. Looking around, Keith realized where he was. Lance was asleep next to him, his head resting on Keith’s chest, his arm wrapped around the blue paladin. He couldn’t see his face but he could feel Lance’s steady heartbeat under his hand. Keith calmed a little, being able to feel Lance’s life under his palm helped. The crown of his head was inches from Keith’s face, Lance’s long hair tickling his nose. Keith didn’t mind, here in this moment he could appreciate Lance.

Keith leaned closer, burying his nose into Lance’s messy bun, breathing in his scent. Its familiar, he smells like the ocean, the same scent of the beach. Lance’s chest rose and fell with each breath, a steady rhythm, calming Keith. That dream, he was crying, Lance had died. Keith rubbed circles across Lance’s tan skin, enjoying this moment where he could take him in, his scent, his skin, his face. God, Keith liked his face. Strong jaw, high cheekbones, soft lips… kissable lips. His eyes were closed but Keith could picture them, the deep blue pools of ocean in his eyes, sparkling with excitement, glimmering with tears threatening to shed. Keith remembered their conversation last night, how he wanted to hold Lance and comfort him. For now, he will hold Lance while he slept and try his best to keep Lance from feeling like that again, to keep him safe.

“I got it bad, don’t I?” Keith whispered aloud. Lance was breathing steadily next to him, his own arm draped lazily across Keith.

“I’d say so.” Coran replied from the doorway. Keith yelped, tightening his grip on Lance.

“Coran, oh hey man. What- uh- what are you doing here?” Keith asked, his heart racing. He contemplated letting Lance go but figured it was too late. Defeated, Keith adjusted his position and looked up to Coran.

“Well I figured you two would want to go out and have a break from the kiddos. I came here last night to tell you but you two lovebirds were already asleep.” Keith blushed, the tips of his ears burned. He went to protest about them being ‘lovebirds’ but was interrupted by Coran. “I covered you two up and left. I figured you would still be here since you weren’t in the kitchen.”

“Yeah, I guess we were really tired.” Keith felt extremely uncomfortable because one, Coran was watching him cuddle with his teammate, two, Coran saw them last night and covered them with a blanket, and three, his arm was starting to fall asleep under Lance’s weight, pins prickling his fingers. “So, uh- you heard that.” Keith asked, looking anywhere but the older man. Coran nodded, twisting his mustache with his thumb and forefinger, a smirk on his lips.

“Yeah, and let me tell you, you don’t have to ask us, we can see it my boy.” Coran smirked, Keith groaned, quieting down when Lance stirred.

“I’m that obvious?” Keith whispered. Coran shrugged.

“Yes and no? Allura and I can see it, you ‘got it bad as you say’. She tried to intervene but I told her it was not our place.” Keith gave Coran a thankful look. “Anyways, it’s your place to tell the boy.”

“Yeah but he doesn’t even like me, were ‘rivals’ remember.” Keith quoted with his fingers. “If he woke up and saw this he would freak.” Coran chuckled, wow, these boys were dense.

“Maybe, you’ll never know until you say something.” Coran shrugged, keeping his mouth shut.

“I don’t know. Doesn’t matter anyways.” Keith trailed off, his thoughts wondering to the worse outcome of telling Lance. ‘Hey, I like you, I like-like you,’ yeah, like that would go over well. Lance was a flirt, he would flirt with anything that breathed. Hell, Lance flirted with a group of aliens who didn’t even breath! Lance was just a nice guy, Keith didn’t even think he knew he was doing it. Lance was someone who liked to take care of people, he was a people person. Keith wasn’t, he was dense and a little hot-headed. So why would Lance like him of all people.

Keith sighed and sank further into the couch, Lance shifting and snuggling closer to him. Keith’s heart did flips in his chest. Lance’s skin was so soft, his face was flawless, no pores in sight. The only reason Keith even knew what a pore was, was because of Lance and his incessive chatter about skincare. Keith figured it was worth it if Lance looked like this. Keith rubbed small circles on Lance’s hipbone with his thumb, enjoying this moment while it last.

“Ahem. Keith, my boy.” Keith jumped and sheepishly looked up from Lance. Opps. “I need you two to go down to the planet. I need some more samples of that water you two were in.”

“The one Lance almost died in? Uh, no thanks.” Keith snapped, he hadn’t meant for it to come out so harsh but after his nightmare he did not like that idea.

“Keith, I need it to try to fix this mess. Besides, you know what’s there now, it’ll be fine. Now chop chop!” Coran clapped, startling Lance awake. Coran left the room with a wink. Bastard.

“Huh? Keith? What’s going on?” Lance asked, his morning voice husky and deep. Keith’s heart skipped a beat. He was frozen, too scare to move, meaning his arm was still wrapped around Lance. Yawning, Lance rubbed his eyes and looked up, his blue eyes staring at Keith. He smiled, his cheeks dusted with pink. “Hey there handsome, you wanna let me go? I mean, I know I’m irresistible,” Lance winked and Keith blushed, “but I need to pee.” Keith rolled his eyes and released his grip on Lance.

“Coran wants us to go back to the cave and get some more samples of the water.” Keith said while stretching his arms up, thankful for the returning felling of his arm.

“The same water that tried to kill me?” Lance asked. Keith studied his face, looking for any sign as to how Lance felt about it but saw nothing.

“Yeah, if- if you want I can go alone, you don’t have to go.” Keith played with the hem of his shirt.

“Nah, it’s cool. I liked that cave, it was pretty, and who doesn’t like some adventure.” Lance shrugged, standing up and stretching. The couch was not the best place to sleep all night, causing sore muscles and cricked necks.

“What? Are you sure or are you just crazy?” Keith asked dumbfounded. Lance had almost died and he was acting like he didn’t.

“Uh, yes? Both. Who cares, I’ll be fine. I know what to look for this time. Besides, you’ll protect me, right?” Lance winked again causing Keith’s face to heat up. See, a flirt! That was flirting, right?

Keith watched as Lance stretched out the rest of his muscles, the muscles in his back flexing under his tight shirt. Keith chewed on the inside of his cheek, determined not to think about Lance’s butt too much.

“Let’s go get some samples!” Lance cheered, a little too excited. Keith sighed and grabbed Lance’s outstretched hand and pulled himself up. Lance patted Keith’s back and made his way to the door. The familiar sound of a stomach growling came from the blue paladin. “…After we eat breakfast.” He added with a pat of his stomach. Keith chuckled and followed him to the kitchen, hell he would follow Lance anywhere.

♥♥♥

The walk to the cave was uncomfortable, their thick suits were stuffy and hot. Keith’s helmet was fogging up with condensation, his forehead covered in sweat. Coran told them to keep their helmets on and not to take them off for too long if at all, their mission was to find the cave and gather some samples of the water, in and out. Lance had asked Coran why the planet was so hot and how it wasn’t a desert. The man had just shrugged his shoulders and told him there were some things even _he_ didn’t know. Lance had sighed, the idea of walking around on a planet with two suns, in their suits, with their helmets on had him quickly changing his mind about this mission.

 

 

“Ugh, its soooooo hot Kieeeeeeth!” Lance cried, his feet dragging in the grass as they walked. Keith sighed as he looked to his friend.

“Yeah, I know. But you complaining isn’t going to help.” Keith replied. Lance continued moving forward, using his hand to block the sunrays from his face.

“Yeah whatever. Its fucking hot okay.” Lance muttered.

“Look, over there.” Keith pointed to the cave they were looking for. “Were here. Let’s get in and out.” Lance nodded, activating his bayard and walking beside Keith. Keith could feel Lance’s arm brush against his, he could feel how close Lance was and it made his arm tingle. Shaking his thoughts aside, Keith activated his bayard and slowly entered the cave.

The cave was significantly cooler then the air outside, the atmosphere was different too. It wasn’t as dark as expected.  As they walked further into the cave, the light flooding in from the outside slowly died away but the cave was lit by other means. Keith noticed some form of bioluminescent flowers and plants lining the cave walls, giving the place a soft glow.

“Oh… my… god, Keith…” Lance’s face lit up, he looked so excited. “This place is amazing. Look at those flowers, they glow Keith! Like, they are really glowing!” Lance was dancing around each of the plants excitedly. His face lit up by the blue light in is helmet, softening his features.

“Yeah, I guess it’s pretty cool.” Keith smiled, he wasn’t looking at the plants, something else had his eye. Lance turned to him, hands on his hips.

“Keith, this is one of the prettiest things I have ever seen.” Lance sighed, his eyes wandering around the walls but settling on Keith. Lance winked at him then turned and skipped off further into the cave. Keith stood there dumbfounded, was that… did he just… what? Keith went to wipe his face but sighed when his hand smacked his helmet. He followed Lance deeper, keeping a close eye on the blue paladin.

Lance ooed and awed at every little thing he came across, not that Keith minded. Lance has always been one to get distracted easily, he was fascinated with everything and would often find himself lost. Keith was usually aggravated those days, why couldn’t he just focus on the mission and do as he was told. Lance wasn’t a bad paladin, he was a great pilot and team member but sometimes he got on Keith’s nerves.

♥♥♥

Lance had one job, go into the forest and get the missing alien. Why couldn’t he do that? Shiro told Keith to go find Lance who had found himself tied to another tree. Keith remembered the last time he had to untie Lance from a tree.

“You guys, I swear, this guy tricked me!” Lance cried thorough the coms. Pidge laughed aloud, punching Hunk in the shoulder.

“You say that about everyone man.” Hunk replied.

“But this time I’m serious. I told him his parents were looking for him and he told me he would come back with me if I went to see something cool with him.” He cried, they could hear him struggling to untie himself.

“Yeah, that’s where you fucked up Lance. He’s a troublemaker, you had one job.” Keith replied as he took off in the direction of Lance’s location.

“Language Keith. And he has a point Lance. I asked you to retrieve him. His parents even said he would try to trick you.” Shiro scolded, using his leader voice. Keith could picture Lance rolling his beautiful, blue eyes. Wait…

“Then why did you send me?” Lance whined over the coms, his tone reminding Keith how annoying he was and bring him out of his thoughts.

“Because everyone else had a job to do.” Shiro replied. “Keith, just hurry up and untie him so we can find that kid and get him home.”

“Rodger that.” Keith replied, turning his attention to the path in front of him.

“Keeeeeeeith, hurry. There are bugs.” Lance whined.

“Hold on dude. Maybe if you didn’t get yourself tied up, you wouldn’t have this problem.” Keith chuckled. Lance groaned and continued pestering Keith thorough their coms. Shiro had stated he was muting them until they get back.

 

“Keith, please… this isn’t funny.” Lance whined. Keith stood next to Lance, his hands on his hips as he laughed. Lance was standing with his back pressed to the trunk of a large tree, a thick vine wrapped around his body. Keith couldn’t help but laugh at the situation.

“How did you even end up like this. That one time I sorta get it, you were thinking with your dick. But now?” Keith chuckled.

“Dude, come on. Stop messing with me and untie me.”

“Maybe. Or I could mess with you more.” Keith smirked, stepping closer to the blue paladin, suddenly bolder, the idea of teasing Lance was enticing.

“Keith. Come on, don’t do this.” Lance whined again, “I know I look good tied up but this isn’t the most comfortable thing in the world.” Keith froze, Lance had blindsided him with that comment.

Holy shit, that put thoughts into Keith’s mind, thoughts he didn’t even know he needed until now. He shouldn’t be thinking about Lance at all, let alone tied up, to his bed, in his room... Keith blinked away the intrusive thought and took out his knife. Carefully cutting the vine, Lance sighed in relief when the thick material fell to his feet, freeing him from the tree.

“Thanks man. Now where did that little fucker go.” Lance patted Keith on the shoulder and looked around to see where the kid went. Keith stood there and stared at Lance, he never really thought about it before but his eyes were breathtaking. They were a deep blue shade, almost like the ocean, the color standing out against his warm, tan skin. Keith shuddered, Lance’s hand still on his shoulder. “You okay man?” Lance asked, his attention back on Keith.

Suddenly realizing he was staring, Keith turned away, face growing red. “Yeah, uh just a chill.” His voice came out weaker than he had intended. Lance was not pretty, Lance was not pretty, Keith repeated to himself, trying to ignore the growing feeling in his chest.

“Whatever, let’s go get that asshole and leave.” Keith nodded and followed behind Lance, thankful the other paladin couldn’t see Keith’s face.

♥♥♥

Thinking back to that day, Keith remembered that was the first time he really looked at Lance. That day was the start of feelings Keith would never be able to get rid of, growing in his chest until one day they exploded, leaving his heart exposed and vulnerable.

“Hey, found it.” Lance’s cheerful voice brought Keith back to the moment.

“Careful!” Keith choked out, his voice cracking. He thought back to his dream, how he couldn’t do anything to save Lance and how it made him feel. Lance looked at Keith, his eyes flicking back and forth between Keith’s, searching. His face softened with understanding, seeing the hurt in Keith’s eyes.

“Ok, let’s just get the samples and leave. I will stay back here.” Lance comforted, his smile soft and caring. Keith let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding and smiled back at Lance.

Taking the container Coran had given them, Keith quickly dunked it into the pool and sealed it off. Lance tried to keep in Keith’s sight, careful not to get in the way. Drowning was scary for Lance and it was here, back where it started, that Lance realized how scary it was for Keith too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, i know its up late but i was busy with school.  
> My Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/penutbutterstick  
> If you have any questions or anything let me know! I love feedback!


	4. Lance's Angst and Keith's Pining Ass

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance ha some issues he wants to get over but he wallows in them instead. Keith can see that Lance is upset and he wants to help. Things start to turn around for everyone and Keith spends some alone time training and in the shower... Finally Lance and Keith have a talk but is it the one they really need?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo sorry this took as long as it did. I had finals and I got a job but now the semesters over I plan to finish this story. Sorry in advance for the Langst, when I wrote this I was in a bad place and I guess I vented. However it is minor and makes for plot points so yay. Also there is some nsfw stuff in this chapter so be warned if it makes you uncomfortable. Thanks for sticking with me this long! <3

Lance was watching Keith put the water samples in the thermos Coran had given them. Keith was muttering about how he wished this was what Coran needed to fix the others because he was growing tired of Shiro’s shenanigans. Keith went on about Shiro and how he was the cutest child he had ever seen but he seemed to be the most annoying at the same time. Lance nodded in agreement, his attention half on what Keith was complaining about.

“Seriously, he walks around the castle in just his diaper and socks! It’s so cute and I have sooo many pictures to blackmail him with.” Keith laughed as he sealed the container with a soft click. “And he is always chasing after Allura, like why. I mean even as a toddler Shiro cares about her and its hilarious.”

Lance nodded in agreement, his mind too focused on his own thoughts. Keith was cute when he rambled on and on about something he liked. Lance would find himself often listening to Keith’s stories from the garrison. When Keith and Pidge argued over the moon landing, Lance would egg them on just to listen to Keith talk. Pidge caught on early as to what he was doing and pestered Lance about it for weeks, often bringing Hunk into the conversation.

Lance missed his best friends, he missed talking to them and hanging out. He missed Hunk’s warm hugs and amazing dishes. Pidge was the best at fixing things and helping Lance with any questions he had about anything. He wanted nothing more than to bring his best friends back but standing there, staring at Keith had Lance wanting something else just as much.

As Lance studied the walls of the cave, he began to worry. A part of him hoped this was the answer to their problems and that Coran could fix everything. They needed their friends back, they needed the paladins of Voltron back. Lance’s stomach felt sick, the idea that he was left alone, all of his friends gone. What if Zarkon attacked the castle, could he protect his family. Sure, Keith was an amazing pilot and he could protect the castle but Lance on the other hand…

 “You alright?” Keith asked, his eyebrow raised in question. Lance blinked and nodded. He was lost in thought and found himself thinking of all the times Keith saved his ass. Lance suddenly felt like shit, he was a drag to this team. Keith found himself in risky situations all the time but at least he could get out of them on his own without the help of Lance or anyone else. Lance’s stomach twisted with guilt and disgust, he felt like a hindrance to his team. Hell, Lance was only good at a few things and swimming _was_ one of them, until he almost drowned because he was too busy staring at a stupid flower. Once again, he needed Keith to save him from dying or getting himself or others hurt.

Keith noticed Lance was worried about something but kept quiet, not wanting to upset Lance or start a fight. It had been a while since they last fought and they got along fine lately. Lance looked out of it, he worried his bottom lip between his teeth. Keith sighed, he wanted to kiss away his worries, make Lance feel better. Lance tended to worry about others more than himself, often hiding behind self-deprecating jokes and puns. Lance was a great paladin of Voltron, he was always one to take action and help others. Sure, he did stupid things but they were just kids thrown into a space war. Keith admired Lance for the longest time, how he was always ready for action and how he was so carefree. However, Keith noticed how often Lance hid his feelings when they started hanging out more. Keith often snuck glances at the blue paladin when he thought no one was looking. His bright smile faltered and his sparkling eyes dulled. It pained him to see Lance like that when he was unable to do anything about it.

Keith pushed his thoughts aside and led Lance out of the cave and back to the castle. Lance followed close behind with his bayard at his side. The walk back was quiet, _Lance_ was quiet. He missed every opportunity to make a pun about their situation. When Keith tripped over a branch Lance only caught his arm and told him to be careful, no witty remark or a pointed laugh. Lance was deep in thought and Keith couldn’t do anything about it.

“Hey.” Keith broke the awkward silence.

“Yeah?” Lance replied.

“How are you holding up?” Keith seemed concerned, his voice quiet. Lance thought about telling him how he felt about the whole thing, how he was scared and useless but decided against it. He didn’t want to worry Keith, he already had enough to deal with.

“I’m fine, why?”

Keith shrugged and searched Lance’s face for something. Lance quickly looked away and shrugged his shoulders too. Keith sighed and Lance figured he was leaving it at that. There was a lot going through Lance’s mind and Keith was one of them. Seeing his reaction back in the cave, his face was soft and full of concern. Lance wondered why he cared so much. Lately the two have been hanging out more, now more than ever. They were close even before this all happened. Shiro sent them on missions together and during training they would often team up. Hunk would regularly tease Lance about his huge crush on Keith and how he sucked at hiding it. They were just friends though, teammates who worked well together.

Moments later, Keith spoke up again. “Lance, Can I talk to you.” Lance sighed, he really didn’t need this right now.

“Can it wait? We have to get this back to Coran and see if we can fix this toddler problem.” Lance snapped, sounding harsher than he had intended, he was trying to keep his composure but Keith was being persistent now and Lance didn’t know what to make of it. He was fine, he didn’t die and he really did not want to think about it anymore but Keith wouldn’t let up.

“Yeah, okay. Sure.” Keith sounded almost hurt, his voice was soft. Lance felt bad, he hadn’t meant to hurt his feelings he just wanted Keith to drop it.

 

Inside the castle, Coran had the rest of the team in the common room, each one of them dressed and fed. Shiro was waddling around, following Allura with his arms outstretched trying to catch her. Allura’s giggles filled the room and seeing them so happy and worry free made Lance’s heat lurch. Pidge was sitting on the sofa next to Hunk, her tiny head nestled on his shoulder. At some point, Coran had put on a movie, something Altean. Pidge seemed engrossed in the film, her hazel eyes blown wide behind her glasses. Why was she still wearing glasses?

“Boy’s! Your back! How did it go? Did you get the samples?” Coran asked, trying his best to keep Shiro and Allura at bay.

“Yeah, it was fine. Here’s the sample.” Keith handed the container to Coran and dropped down to kneel in front of Shiro. “Hey, what’s up little man.” Keith cooed, his tone changing completely from their earlier conversation. Lance smiled down fondly to Keith, he was great with kids as he was with everything. “Hey, Lance, can you watch them for a while? I need to go do some things.” Keith avoided looking him in the eyes and Lance’s chest felt tight, his throat suddenly dry. Had he upset him?

“Yeah, okay no problem.” Lance replied, avoiding eye contact with him. Keith rose to his feet and walked out of the room leaving Lance with the children and Coran.

“Well… I’m off to see what’s up with this water.” Lance nodded and watched as Coran walked out of the room, leaving the blue paladin alone.

“Well, uh, hey guys.” Lance grimaced, he was suddenly aware he did not know how to look after them by himself.

♥♥♥

Keith just needed time to himself. All week he was either with Lance or the others and he felt tense. Lance was the cause of most of his problems. His stupid face and beautiful voice and deep blue eyes and long hair- Keith shook his head and sighed. He wanted to punch something.

In the training deck, Keith turned on some music and started the training sequence. His mind focused on his actions, dogging each attack and countering with his own. It had been a while since he last trained in here. With everything that was going on he had to put it aside.

His blood was pumping and his body sore but he kept going, anything was better than thinking about Lance. The last time Keith was in here he was teaching Lance how to fight. Seeing him laugh as he tried and failed to attack Keith, his smile engrained in his head. Lance’s smile could light up the room and Keith would do anything to see it. While his mind was somewhere else, the android he was sparring with landed a hard blow to Keith’s ribs, knocking the air out of his lungs as he fell to the floor.

“Simulation stop. Holy shit.” Keith coughed out and collapsed on the floor, his chest rising and falling quickly as he tried to catch his breath. How long had he been in here? He raised his arm to look at his watch and sighed, three hours. Keith’s hair stuck to his neck with sweat, his ponytail a lost cause. His muscles burned and his ribs were bruised. Keith gave up on fighting out his feelings and decided to take a hot shower.

The cooler air in the hallway chilled the layer of sweat on his hot skin. Keith shivered, causing goosebumps to appear on his skin as he made his way to his room. When he rounded the corner he bumped into something solid causing him to stumble back.

“Whoa, hey you okay? Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention.” Lance asked, grabbing onto Keith’s arms to help steady him. Lance’s hand was cool against his skin.

“Huh, yeah its cool.” Keith shrugged, trying to avoid Lance’s eyes.

“Keith-” Lance’s grip tightened on Keith’s forearms, signaling him to look at Lance, “I’m sorry…  about earlier. I didn’t mean to hurt your feel-” Keith tried to object but Lance pushed on, “what I _mean_ is I was a dick and I’m sorry. You wanted to talk and I was… an _ass_. I just… ugh… I was scared okay. I thought I was going to die and I didn’t even think about how you felt about it. I was being selfish.”

“You weren’t being selfish. I was worried about you and believe it or not, I _care_ about you dummy. I get it, don’t worry about me, what matters is that you’re okay.” Keith felt his cheeks redden.

“Yeah, I’m better now. Thanks man.” Lance’s smiled at him as he squeezed Keith’s forearm before releasing his hold. Keith was staring at Lance, drowning in his blue eyes and bright smile. They stayed like that for what felt like forever but was only a few moments.

“Well, um- I’m glad you’re ok. I- uh- need a shower so yeah.” Keith mumbled as he pointed towards his door with his thumb.

“Yeah, ok. We can talk later then?” Lance asked.

“Sure.” Keith nodded, his bedroom door slid open with the press of his hand.

“Cool, see ya.” Lance called out. Keith smiled at him as his door slid shut with a hiss.

Hidden behind his door, Keith smacked his palm to his face. What the fuck just happened? “I care about you? Who says that? I’m so stupid.” Keith mutterd to himself. Sighing, he grabbed the towel hanging off the hook on his door and stepped into the attached bathroom.

The water was scalding hot against his cooling skin but Keith didn’t care. His back muscles relaxed under the running water. His hair stuck to his neck and back as he let the hot water wash away his thoughts. Lance was something else. Lance’s grip still lingered on his arms. Keith tried to think of something else, something other than the way Lance looked out in the hall. His pants rode low on his slender hips, Keith could see his muscles between the hem of his tank-top and jeans. Lance looked like a fucking model with his hair tied up in a bun, exposing his undercut that Keith likes so much. Everything about him was beautiful, his smile, his face, his eyes, his chest and abs, the way his hips moved when he danced.

Keith tried to ignore the want pooling in his gut as thoughts of Lance filled his mind. His erection was starting to become a growing problem that he could not ignore. It’s been weeks since the last time he had time to himself.

Keith groaned when he gave in and he wrapped his hand around his aching cock. This was so wrong, thinking about Lance while he stroked himself. He didn’t care, he needed this. Seeing Lance walk around with his stupid face and stupid body. Keith hated himself but the feeling of his rough fingers against his sensitive head had him quickening his pace. With every pass of his hand he would run his fingers over his leaking slit, spreading his precome down his length. He imagined what Lance’s hand would feel like, what his mouth would feel like around his aching cock. Keith could feel the heat in his belly pool as he stroked faster with thoughts of Lance’s lips around his leaking head. A quiet moan escaped his lips as he came across his chest, some of it hitting his neck.

Keith sighed, his muscles relaxed and the tension in his back gone. Quickly washing off his body, Keith turned off the water and wrapped the red towel around his waist. He avoided looking at himself in the mirror as he passed.

 

Lance stepped into his room and collapsed onto his bed throwing his arm over his face. Keith was so hot with his hair loose around his shoulders and the way his body glistened with sweat. Lance groaned into his arm as he laid there wondering if Keith had meant what he said about how he cared about Lance. What did that even mean anyways? Like as friends or was it something more?

“Ugh! What the heck man?” Lance grumbled to himself. He really wanted to tell Keith how he felt but he didn’t know if Keith felt the same. “Why would he? He’s way better than me at everything, he’s _way_ to hot, his face is _perfect_ and his _body_ ugh. Should I just tell him… get it over with and face rejection head on?” Lance sighed and threw his face into his pillow to muffle his screams.

Just then there was a gentile knock at the door. Lance groaned and prayed to anything that it was not Keith.

“Lance my boy! How is it going in here? I could hear you screaming from out here. I thought whether to knock or not but I figured this could cheer you up.” Coran had stepped into Lance’s room and was admiring the things he’s collected over the years. Coran picked up a rock that Keith had given to him during one of their recon missions last year.

“Uh, yeah sorry ‘bout that. What would cheer me up?” Lance chimed in to get Coran’s attention.

“Ah yes, when Keith is done with his shower I would like for you two to get the others and meet me in the med bay, I think I found a way to reverse the babyfication.”

“Holy quiznack! For real?” Lance grabbed Coran by the shoulders and shook him.

“Yes! I am quite excited too. Now please stop shaking me and get number four along with the others.”

Lance nodded, quickly letting the older man go. Coran had left and Lance was jumping around his room. He could finally get his friends back, it wasn’t irreversible and he could _finally_ get some rest. He could talk to Hunk and figure out what to do about Keith but first he needs to get him and the others.

Lance almost tripped over the small pile of clothes on his floor as he rushed out his room and over to Keith’s. Violently knocking on his door, Lance hopped from foot to foot in excitement.

“Dude, I’m naked. What do you want?” Keith replied, his voice muffled behind the door. Lance shook the image of Keith’s naked body dripping wet from his mind and pressed his face against the door.

“Keith, buddy, dude, open up!” Lance persisted as he knocked with each syllable.

“Okay, hold on, geeze.” Keith replied.

The door slid open and Keith stood there in black joggers, his hair still dripping wet from his shower, his torso bare. Lance’s throat suddenly went dry and he couldn’t look away. Keith coughed, his face red, probably from the hot shower.

“Oh yeah, Coran might have figured out how to fix the others.” Keith’s expression changed completely, his eyes widened as did his smile.

“Holy shit. Really? Like now?” Lance nodded. “We can go back to normal? No more babysitting?” Lance nodded again and grabbed Keith’s hand after he slid on a shirt and dragged him down the hall to the children’s room.

“We can have our friends back and our time back.” Lance laughed. Keith smiled, his hand tightened around Lance’s with acknowledgement.

 

Lance opened the door to the med bay with the other paladins in tow, still holding onto Keith’s hand. Pidge was not happy about being woken up and force to walk. Keith had Shiro on his hip and Lance swore to him he played favorites.

“Ah, you’re here. Set them down here.” Coran gestured to the table in front of him. Lance finally let go of Keith’s hand to place Allura, Hunk, and Pidge on the table. Keith set Shiro down next to the others and they stepped back to let Coran examine them.

“So, how does this work exactly?” Lance asked. Keith noticed he was fidgeting and biting his nails so he grabbed hold of Lance’s hand again. Lance looked at their intertwined fingers and then up to Keith who smiled at him reassuringly.

“Well, I figured out it was a plant that released pollen into the air. The pollen has this chemical in it that attaches to one’s DNA and reverts them back to a child. The reason you two weren’t affected was because the water in that cave has some bacteria in it. This wonderful specimen counteracts the pollen and I found a way to put it in a serum that- hopefully- will fix our paladins and the princess.”

“Really? Is it instant?” Keith asked, his grip on Lance’s hand tightened. Lance could feel his heart race in his chest, his stomach twisted in excitement.

“No, it takes 8 or so hours so I suggest we separate them into their respective rooms. We don’t want them waking up together, all in the buff.” Coran laughed at the thought and turned to the others. “Now, this won’t hurt at all.” Taking a small syringe, Coran injected each of them with the serum. Shiro was the only one who cried and that made Keith laugh.

Lance realized he was still holding Keith’s hand, their fingers intertwined together. Keith hadn’t pulled away yet, his hand warm in Lance’s. Keith started to rub his thumb over Lance’s knuckle to reassure him that everything would be alright. Lance was freaking out, what was even happening. Keith looked at their hands then up to Lance, his face was tinted pink and his smile was soft. Lance’s heart melted in his chest, seeing Keith like this was something to be cherished.

“Alright boys. Let’s put them to bed, the serum makes them sleep so we don’t have to worry about them wandering the castle.” Coran interrupted. Lance blushed and reluctantly pulled his hand away from Keith’s. They each grabbed a sleeping child, Keith carrying Pidge and Shiro in both arms. Lance almost swooned at the sight of Keith’s strong arms holding up both paladins. It was cheesy but he didn’t care.

After they put the others to their respective beds, Lance and Keith were left standing alone in the hallway outside their bedroom doors.

“So, did you still wanna talk or did you want to go to sleep?” Lance asked sheepishly. He wanted to stay up with Keith all night long, he didn’t care what they talked about as long as he was with Keith.

“Yeah, if you’re up for it.” Keith chuckled. Lance smiled and opened his door with the press of his hand. Keith followed Lance into his bedroom. “Wow, what’s all this?” Keith asked after he noticed the small collection of items on Lance’s shelf.

“Oh, well I uh like keeping mementos from places we’ve been.” Lance shrugged, picking up a sea shell from the planet with the mermaids he was stranded on with Hunk all those years ago, a fond smile on his face.

“That’s cu- cool. Hey, I gave you this one right?” Keith asked when he noticed the blue rock from before. Lance blushed and stood closer next to Keith, their shoulders brushed against each other’s. Keith’s body radiated warmth, his presence oddly comforting to Lance.

“Yeah,” Lance laughed, “that one is my favorite. I like to remember all our missions ya know. Its weird huh…” Lance trailed off. Keith only shook his head and smiled at Lance.

“No, it’s not weird. Remember this mission? We were trying to rescue some prisoners, right?” Lance nodded. “Yeah and we were stuck in this cave where we somehow ended up on the celling, Pidge said the cave had its own gravity or something. I remember you were freaking out and I was laughing so hard.”

“Yeah, well not everyone can be as agile as you Keith.” Lance retorted, crossing his arms at the memory. Keith chuckled and sat down on Lance’s bed, crossing his legs under him as he leaned against the wall. Lance slid next to him, their legs touching in the small space. “It freaked me out, we walked in and suddenly up was down and you landed on your feet! I was not so lucky.” Lance laughed.

“Yeah, well it was funny none the less. Besides we found the prisoners, right? And you saved my life that day.”

“I did?” Lance looked at Keith in disbelief.

“Yeah, you don’t remember?” Lance shook his head. “Yeah one of the galra soldiers attacked me, I was distracted and you shot him from like twenty feet away… you don’t remember?” Keith looked surprised, his face was so close to Lance’s.

Lance honestly did remember, Keith was trying to help one of the prisoners when they got their arm stuck. Keith went back and helped them out without telling the rest of the team. Lance turned around to tell him something and Keith was gone. Lance was freaking out, he thought something or someone had grabbed him. When he looked back he noticed the galra soldier headed straight for Keith. Lance was scared in that moment, he thought he was going to lose him. He took a deep breath and aimed at the soldier.

“You shot him and saved me _and_ that prisoner. You’re a great shot you know. If it wasn’t for you, I might be dead or worse.” Keith was staring at Lance now, his deep grey eyes piercing into Lance’s.

“Well, I couldn’t let our best pilot die.” Lance shrugged and looked at the blue rock in his hands. Keith was too close and Lance wondered what his lips would feel like against his.

“I’m not our best pilot.” Keith muttered, turning his attention to the rock in Lance’s hand. “I saw that rock and the color reminded me of your eyes. That’s why I took it and gave it to you.” Lance’s breath caught in his throat. Keith was so confusing sometimes.

“Don’t say that. You are amazing Keith. You save my ass all the time and you can fly though asteroids and you fly circles around me all the time! Plus, you are great with kids and you are a great fighter.” Lance wanted to say more but decided against it. Keith was amazing, he really was but he would never like Lance, who would. “Why are you so good with kids anyway?” Lance asked, wanting to change the subject.

“Well, I was a foster kid. I moved from foster home to foster home and a lot of the places I lived in were not that great. Most of the time it was some couple who fostered kids for the money. They would take in several kids and mooch off the government. There were a lot of kids, some were too young to take care of themselves and I felt like I had to do something you know. I couldn’t let them live like that.

“This one family I lived with only fostered us for the money. It was me and two one year old’s. They would often leave them in their dirty diapers and just set them in front of the tv for most of the day. Seeing them like that, I had to do something.”

“How old were you?” Lance asked. Keith was quiet, his voice soft and fragile as he told Lance his story.

“I was eight. I learned quickly how to change a diaper and bathe them. That was the easy stuff. Making sure they kept stuff out of their mouths or fingers out of sockets was the difficult part. I don’t know I guess a part of me has always been good with kids.” Keith just shrugged as if he didn’t tell Lance his sad childhood. Lance’s chest felt tight, he pictured a small Keith taking care of his foster siblings.

Lance laid his head onto Keith’s shoulders as he listened to him talk. Keith smelled like clean soap and his hair smelled like sweet flowers.

“I got into a lot of fights in school. I was the new kid people liked to pick on and It didn’t help I had a mouth on me.” Lance chuckled in mock agreement. Keith laughed with him and continued. “I learned how to fight, how to protect myself and the ones I cared about. I wasn’t going to let those assholes fuck with me. They would often bully me because I was different. Well it doesn’t matter now, they are back on earth and here we are.”

Lance glanced up at Keith and grabbed a hold of his hand. Keith froze, his body stiff next to Lance. Slowly he relaxed, his fingers tightening around Lance’s. His heart skipped a beat in his chest, Keith’s skin was soft but the palms of his hands were rough with years of fighting. Lance traced his fingers against some of the scars on Keith’s pale hand.

“Lance?” Keith whispered after a few moments of silence.

“Hmm?” Lance replied, Keith’s voice was small, his usual husky voice gone.

“What was up earlier, back in the cave. You seemed distant.” Lance stopped rubbing small circles on Keith’s hand. Why did he care…

“Nothing…”

“Bullshit. I know you Lance, I know when something’s up.”

Lance rolled his eyes and sighed, sinking further into Keith’s side. “I was just thinking about all of the times I cause problems. I make stupid, brash decisions and put myself and others in danger. I’m reckless and I put myself before others…”

“No, you don’t.” Keith interjected. “Yeah, you jump into action without thinking sometimes but you do it _for_ others. I see you, you know… I see how you care about everyone on the castle. You rush in to protect your friends. You saved my life Lance.”

“Yeah, but what about when I almost drowned! That was stupid and I put your life in danger too!” Lance was upset now, Keith couldn’t see how he was a nuisance to the team.

“Lance-” Keith turned to face him, removing his hand from Lance’s to grab his face. “Lance, look at me, you are one of the smartest, kindest, most honest person I have ever met. You light up any room you walk into and you are always there to brighten someone’s day. You are so fucking important to this team, to me… and I can’t stand watching you tear yourself apart.” Lance’s throat hurt, tight with unshed tears that threatened to spill. Keith was being so kind and his face was so close, his lips looked soft.

Lance closed his eyes and leaned into Keith’s touch. He could feel the tears fall down his cheek, spilling over Keith’s fingers. His heart was beating hard in his chest, the tears were flowing freely. Keith removed his hands from Lance’s face in exchange for wrapping his arms around his body. He pulled him into his lap resting the side of Lance’s body against his chest. Lance couldn’t stop the tears, he felt better that Keith was there but some thoughts were difficult to forget.

“Shh, it’s okay. I got you.” Keith cooed, rubbing his hand along Lance’s arm. Lance sobbed into Keith’s chest, soaking through his shirt. Keith whispered reassuring words into Lance’s hair, peppering small kisses in-between. Lance’s body relaxed, his shaking slowed until it stopped completely. “Do you wanna go to sleep?” Lance nodded and slowly slid off Keith’s lap. Keith covered him with his blanket and watched as he closed his eyes, his breathing heavy with emotions. Lance looked peaceful even though his face was puffy from crying. Keith moved towards the door only to be stopped by a hand on his wrist. He turned to see Lance staring up at him with red eyes and puffy cheeks.

“Ca-can you stay? You don’t h-have to i-if you don’t wanna.” Lance hiccupped, his voice weak. Keith only nodded and flipped off the light switch. He climbed into the small bed with Lance and slid under the covers. Lance sighed when Keith pulled him against his chest, his fingers running though his brown hair. Lance wrapped his arm around Keith’s body, pressing them tighter together.

“You are amazing Lance, don’t you fucking forget it.” Keith whispered, their bodies intertwined in the dark room. Lance breathed in Keith’s scent, his mind slowly drifted off to sleep. Keith kissed the top of his head just as Lance slipped under.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, please comment with any questions or anything you want to see in the last chapter!


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